Curses of the Sea
by FireBlade k'Leshya
Summary: Ever wonder where the Devil Fruits came from and why they are cursed? Here's the story of how we got them, how an evil yet seductive being rose to power to challenge the sea herself, and how our favorite pirates blundered into the mess. Rated M to be safe
1. Mysteries of the Deep

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Curses of the Sea

Water is one of the most curious elements on the planet. It covers more than three quarters of our world. It is a requirement for life, as far as science can tell us. And yet, for all its abundance, no matter how much we take it for granted, mankind has always been drawn to it in its most unpredictable form: the sea. The seas created life, so it has been said, but those powerful waters also have the ability to take it away just as easily. Many who venture out onto the serene, blue world never return. Others, well, let's just say that death might have been a kinder fate because of what they have seen, what they have experienced. Have you ever seen a ship return, its crew all but stumbling back onto land, safe and predictable land? Have you ever gazed into the depths of sunken eyes, seen them clouded and unresponsive because of horrors they will never tell? The sea is a fickle entity. She rules her own domain and those who try to become her master don't often live long enough to try. Only the brave souls who accept the sea for what it is, an element in its own right, not to be contained or ruled over, will return safely back to port. Only they will learn the rules, the quirks, and the temper tantrums that make safe voyages possible, even through the worst of weather.

Cabin boys and Captains, Marines and Pirates alike all know the different sides of the sea. The sea takes no sides in any conflict, and who it favors on any day is simply a roll of the dice. She may hand you victory one day and snatch it back the next. As cruel and sadistic as the sea can be, sea goers also know her gentle side. The side that rocks you gently to sleep at night, as a mother would her precious child. The giving side that provides food when there is nowhere else to land. The tranquil side which eases all your troubles away. It is because of the sea's unpredictable nature that men are drawn to it. A true sense of adventure, one that can always turn deadly no matter how well or far ahead you've planned.

And yet, for all the space the sea takes up, for all the people who have traversed its waves, mankind knows surprisingly little about it. No one knows for sure what goes on beneath its depths, what mighty things grow on its floor…

Now, many of you have heard the tale of Adam and Eve. God cast them out of the Garden of Eden because they dared to disobey him and eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The story has been around for centuries, but the people who wrote the original would be hard pressed to figure out how it had changed so much. Take away the garden, the sinners, even the god. What is left is the Tree of Knowledge. Now add not a god, but the sea herself in all her majestic beauty, appearing in human form to small group of very shocked humans. Mix it all together and created is a pact between the sea and mankind, guarded closely over millennia by the descendants of the clan that made the agreement. The sea gained protectors, body guards to defend her from a force even she feared. What did the humans gain? Power, but with a terrible curse, for the sea prefers to play it safe.

Mankind obtained the Devil Fruits.

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A/N: well...was it a good opening? I hope it was. This is going to be a multi-chap, no idea how long. Hopefully I can live up to your expectations of One Piece stories. Anyway, review if you'd like, although you can wait a chapter if you want because this was mostly a kind of prologue with some background info. XD 


	2. Weather Eye on the Horizon

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, the wonderful Oda-sensei does. Anything that isn't found in the manga/anime, like new characters, are mine however.

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"HOLY SHIT! Everyone, brace yourselves!" screamed Nami in horror. The Thousand Sunny topped the crest of the massive, fifty foot wave. She freefell as the wave was ripped out from under the keel and the crew grabbed anything they could to keep from being swallowed up by the turbulent waters. Winds battered the hull, hammered the sails, ripping large gashes in them as a predator would its prey. Most of the sails were completely useless by now, the ship having been attacked by the storm for two hours without mercy. Two hours of hell that had been dragged out over a lifetime, or so it seemed. Zoro and Chopper strained at the wheel to keep the ship on course so they wouldn't be at the mercy of the sea. Nami was shouting orders left and right, desperately trying to keep the ship and the crew in one piece.

"Arg! What did we do to deserve this?!" Nami yelled, cursing their rotten luck. Her voice was becoming hoarse from all the shouting. She shook her eyes free of the stinging saltwater and looked upwards. Luffy, Sanji, and Robin were high up in the rigging of the ship attempting to hoist up the rest of the sails. It was slow going. Each sail was a battle with the storm, which kept trying to tear the sails free from the hands that wanted to save them. They would come so close and then away it would fly, as if the storm had a twisted sense of humor and enjoyed their struggles. Franky was dashing back and forth, frantically plugging up holes. The patch-up jobs were hasty, but they would hold long enough, he hoped, he prayed, for the ship to find port.

"Oi! Nami!" Franky shouted, "The ship can't take much more of this!"

The navigator wrung her hands helplessly and scanned the skies, hopelessly searching for some favorable sign that their luck would change. "What can I do? The storm doesn't seem like it will let up for hours!"

"Well we're screwed then. This ship's got one too many holes and a few more massive waves like that one will smash us to pieces with no regard whatsoever for how tough this rare wood is."

Nami heard a muffled yell and looked skywards. Usopp, who was high up in the crow's nest searching for land, was jumping up and down, pointing at something towards the bow in utter terror. She followed his gaze and instantly wished she hadn't. What she saw shook her to the core of her bones.

A wave. A cold, dark, churning wall of water. Its size rivaled that of a Marine Headquarters building. For a moment no one moved, no one breathed. No one could even think. The sheer massiveness of the wave drove everything from the crews' minds and they could only stare in dreaded awe. Nothing could withstand such a force. Nothing could be done to escape the clutches of that cold horror. While unrestrained fear coiled up inside the crew, Luffy felt something unknot within him, and for some reason the clammy feeling loosed its hold on him for a bit.

"So does the sea remind us that we are always at her mercy, not our own" he whispered softly to himself, remembering a phrase he had learned so long ago, from Shanks maybe, another lifetime entirely it seemed. None of the crew heard him, but what difference would the words have meant to them. Death was being handed to them on a silver platter and nothing the captain could say would make the dish any easier to swallow. Someone heard him though. The words were but a whisper but rang loud in the ears that received them. And whoever, or whatever, it was answered.

"Such words of wisdom coming from one so young?" The voice coursed through Luffy's body like adrenalin. Time stopped. The voice was a symphony, one made of rolling thunder, crackling lightning, the soft trickle of a tide pulling away from the rocks, and the kind sound the salty water makes as waves wash up on shore. It took his breath away even as he whipped around to find its source. The voice chuckled at him.

"Grown men know less of the sea than you do, boy" it said, laughter shivering through his body.

"What are you?" the rubber boy demanded. Somehow he knew the owner of the voice raised an eyebrow.

"And such impertinence as well, as it always is with young ones." Luffy narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"I'm not up for playing games" he shouted, "My nakama are about to die! If you want to help fine, if not, then get the hell out of here!" The voice snorted at him.

"As if your deaths would matter to me. Thousands have died in the same manner that you are about to. Some, worse. You should consider yourselves lucky that it is only drowning you face" it paused for a moment but continued, intrigued. "Do you fear the sea, boy?"

Luffy stared around incredulously. "Of course I'm afraid of the sea, you idiot!" he raged at the voice, "I'm a fucking pirate, for hell's sake, I'm supposed to fear it. Worse, I ate a Devil Fruit. The sea has cursed me until the day I die, which may be very soon! Every time I set foot on this deck I know I may not live to step off of it again. Every storm, I wonder if this is it. I could curse it, fight it, try to control it until the sun died and it wouldn't do me any good at all. I can control my Devil Fruit abilities, but never the force that cursed them. The price I pay to live as a pirate is in fear, and I accept that!" Fear, anger, rage. It poured out of Luffy while he screamed this, a testament to the fact that he realized how dire his situation truly was. The voice nodded in approval.

"So much courage, so much wisdom…" the voice wondered, "Those are rare traits for a boy who should know less than he does. You may be of some use to me yet, young one." And with that the voice was gone. Its presence left the captain and he gasped for breath. The world returned to him, time sped up again. The entire conversation had taken place in an instant. He looked over the bow to see the towering wave still heading for them.

Luffy didn't know what made him do it, he never really would, perhaps it was instinct, but he suddenly let go of the large sail he had been trying to wrap up. It caught the full force of the wind behind it and the rest was ripped from the hands of Robin and Sanji. They didn't really notice though. Nothing existed for them except the water. Luffy slid down the rope attached to it, thankful that the rain kept his hands from burning because of the friction. He yanked it as hard as he could so the sail was tight and tied the rope around the main mast. Luffy vaguely wondered at his luck that it was the only sail without a hole in it.

The Thousand Sunny gained the crest of a wave before the wall. One more wave to go over, and then they would be pummeled. The ship shot down the inclined side of water, gaining speed as it did so. It slammed into the next wave and dashed up its side. From out of nowhere wind careened across the stern of the ship, straining the last sail nearly past its limit. The Sunny picked up more speed and instead of sliding down the wave to meet the next one from hell, it shot over the crest at an upward angle. It flew. The wind carried it to its target, the ridge of the water wall. The bow hit the peak with tremendous force, punching its way through to make way for the rest of the ship. Thousands of gallons of salty water washed over the deck as the primitive instinct for survival made the crew grab onto anything that wouldn't be washed away. For one second Luffy thought the water would push them backwards.

But then the Sunny's bow tipped forward and began to ride the back of the wall down. Screams of terror could be heard as the ship went whipping down to the bottom. Spray was flung from where the ship landed, but no one noticed because the wind was still blowing the ship forward. All eyes were closed now and none wanted to open. Up and down, down and up the ship bobbed, flowing over the stormy waves. Slowly, too slowly, the wind died down, the ship shook off its frightening pace, and the feeling of the waves subsided. Eventually it all stopped and nothing moved. The only thing that could be felt was the slow rocking of the keel on calm waters. The rain was gone too. Carefully, not daring to hope, the members of the crew opened their eyes. Clouds parted and sunlight hit them full in the face.

Luffy glanced about and quickly did a head count. His nakama were still there, all of them. He sighed and sagged in relief against the cabin wall and looked across the bow. What he saw astonished him. Tears of relief, of joy, of the sheer wonder at being alive spilled down his face. He shook his head and felt his straw hat slide back and forth along his back. It was still attached to the string around his neck. He grabbed it happily and shoved it on his head, relishing in its existence. He tried speaking, but for a minute the words failed him. He swallowed, dislodging the lump that had taken up residence in his throat, and pointed. The crew (_My nakama_, he thought proudly) followed his gaze.

"Land" the captain said. Nothing could have been better.

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A/N: neh, I hope you like it so far. I hadn't planned to open with a storm scene, it just kind of happened that way. Rate and review please, we authors live on them XD


	3. The Rider Enters

Disclaimer: Oda-sensei owns One Piece, not me, but I own anything that isn't in the anime or any other books

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"She let them in. We are obligated to offer hospitality."

"But look at the colors they fly. They're pirates!"

An argument broke out on the dock of the sheltered bay that surrounded the largest of seven islands. The town in the background was full of the hustle and bustle of people going about their daily business. The three who were arguing were discussing the curious ship that was pulling into the bay. The decision of whether or not to allow the ship to dock had not yet been made.

"Pirates or not, she let them in. Would you go against our vows?"

"Do you remember what happened last time? Starsong-"

"Quiet!" said a new voice, shaking in anger. "Starsong was an isolated incident. Unique. She chose her own path. Shereema has awarded these people safe passage to our land. She was either being magnanimous, which I doubt, or cunning. She obviously believes that they can be of some service, and gods know we need it! To turn them away would be to deny the vows that have held us together for millennia."

The elders of the island, the three who had been arguing, stared at the girl who had entered their midst. She was of a light build, thin and tall. A powerful gust of wind blew through the gathering, upsetting the balance of the elders and ruffling the girl's short, black hair but not bothering her in the slightest. Her deep green eyes radiated power and authority as she stared down the men who ought to be in charge of her, as was the way with the rest of the clan.

"Wind-rider" began one of the men, the one who was against allowing the pirates to dock, "Isolated incident or not, you cannot deny that it happened. It is a dangerous age. You can't just take people at face value!" The girl sneered, her green eyes glinting dangerously. Clearly someone had touched a nerve.

"Since when do I _ever_ take anyone at face value?" The elders cringed. "I made that mistake once, but never again. I concede to your argument, Summer-moon, and if it will make you feel better I will ride out to meet whoever these people are. This way their intentions may be judged and you may decide whether to put the Clans on alert or not. Is that satisfactory?"

The elders heaved a collective sigh. As usual, the girl was right. "Yes, Rider, it is acceptable." She nodded curtly and walked off back to her house. The elders looked at each other, shaking their heads.

"Neh, what are we to do with her?" asked Diamond-star.

"What can we do?" replied Summer-moon. "She has more power than any of us combined. And she has Shereema's blessings and complete backing. What could compete against that?"

Rain-cloud smiled and shook his head. "No, even if she didn't we would still refer to her judgment, never mind that Rider is only 18. She has the wisdom of her mother and the logic of her father flowing through her veins. They taught her very well. That is what we can never hope to compete against." He walked off, back into town. The other two elders sighed again and followed, pondering their colleague's words.

Wind-rider stalked up to her home, a pleasant little cottage at the top of the hill, overlooking the town and its harbor. She paused for a minute and let the breeze soothe her soul. Damn the elders sometimes! They could be so shortsighted, never quite grasping the larger picture. The Clans were in danger, there was no doubt about it. Something was coming, and when it would strike was anyone's best guess. She gazed out over the harbor and her eyes found the battered ship that was limping into port.

"Who are you" she whispered. Shereema hadn't let in a ship for the past ten years, so these people must be special, in some way, some form. _Maybe_, Wind-rider thought, _just maybe you can help_. She shook her head and walked in the door.

The cottage was a cozy one. Made of the insulating Kiya wood, it was kept warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Various ornaments adorned the walls. Ritual masks, old flags, paintings her mother had made… Sometimes Wind-rider wondered if there was truly any room left on the walls to put up anything new. She moved across the room, bare feet plodding softly on the ancient rugs that were so precious to her family, which had so many memories woven into them. Wind-rider sighed heavily. She had once played on those rugs, with her father and mother. Her breath caught in her throat and she forced herself to relax, forced the tight knot back down.

She laughed silently to herself. "You'd think that after all this time I'd have some control over my own emotions. I can judge others to a tee, but my own are nothing but a mystery. Mum and Dad are gone. I've accepted that and moved on. So why oh why do I almost always want to cry when I enter this house?!" Wind gusted outside and brought Wind-rider back to herself. _Steady now girl, don't blow down the place._ A deep breath, two, and she felt better.

"Now where did I put it" she wondered to herself. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for the familiar shape. "Aha! There you are." Wind-rider walked over to a window sill, one that provided a full view of the town and harbor. Leaning against it was her board. It was almost as tall as her, made again of Kiya wood. Its ends curled up slightly (A/N: think snowboard). It had been sanded, painted, decorated, and varnished with extreme care. She patted it lovingly. It was her oldest friend, a birthday present from so many years ago. Her parents, of course, had thought that it would be used for sliding down the mountains in winter. She'd had other ideas.

Wind-rider went outside, her day much improved by the prospect of riding. The day would never be forgotten by the members of her clan when she came swooping down on their heads, riding that board. _Snow_, she'd thought, _who wants to ride on the snow when the air currents are so much more fun and unpredictable?_ She'd been eight at the time and no one, not even her parents, were aware that Shereema had given the child a Devil Fruit. It was unheard of. The Kaze Kaze fruit. She had control over the wind, thus had she obtained her name. Granted, it had been a disaster when she was young, trying to learn to master her new abilities. And gods help everyone when she had a temper tantrum. Winds would rocket out of nowhere, smashing into whoever had ticked her off. Wind-rider smiled. She was glad that her abilities were under her control, not her emotions.

"Heh, after 10 years what can you expect. You'd think I'd managed to figure out some of my abilities by now. And I may not understand my emotions sometimes, but hell if they are in charge of me and not the other way around" She dropped the board to the ground, although it hovered an inch or two above the grass. A passing stranger would have found this odd, but not those in the town, not any longer. The Rider hopped on and strapped her feet in. She felt the wind at her back.

"Three…two…one…go!" She shot of like a bullet down the hill her house sat upon. Faster and faster until it seemed like she might crash into the next hill below. Finally Wind-rider knew she had enough speed and pulled up, skimming the tall grasses that adorned the lower hill. This was her element and she exulted in the adrenalin rush she received as she and the board sped along, powered by her ability. She passed over the town, red tiled roofs flowing under her. The harbor was close now. The Rider smiled and dove down, shouting joyously. Right before the water swallowed her up, she grabbed the front of the board and yanked on it, forcing the back into the waves and creating a shower of spray. As long as she had her board and the wind, Wind-rider wasn't worried about the sea, as other Devil Fruit users might be. She didn't need to be. The Rider smiled happily to herself as she flew toward the pirate ship.

When she felt she was close enough, Wind-rider slowed down. On her board she crept up quietly to the bow of the ship and hid underneath its large figurehead. _A lion in a sunflower_, she thought, grinning, _I like it_. _How original_. Rider sat down softly, dangling her feet in the cool, blue water. Sometimes empathy receiving was best done while sitting down, because you could never know what emotions would end up slamming into you. More often than not, they would literally knock you off your feet. Carefully, with years of practiced mental power, Rider lowered her shields. She vaguely remembered trying to explain it to her little brother once, when he was learning how to deal with being an empath.

_"Think of your mind as a castle" she'd said. "Every castle needs protection, right? So, what would you do?" Her kid brother scratched his five year old head._

_"Put up walls?" Fire-fox ventured._

_"Exactly so. That's kind of what we empaths do. See, because we can feel other peoples feelings, sometimes we need to block them out. Otherwise we wouldn't be able to think. So what we do is we put up walls, or shields, in our minds and layer them so that nothing can get in unless we want it to."_

_"But castles can be taken over. Do your walls ever break?" Wind-rider smiled, glad that her brother had grasped the concept so well._

_"You bet they can. It takes a lot of effort and I have to do little exercises every day to keep my walls strong. If they aren't then something could break through." Fire-fox's eyes were wide with wonder._

_"Teach me, teach me, teach me!" he'd said, bouncing up and down. _

Wind-rider smiled at the memory. Fire-fox was growing up nicely and was easily mastering the problems of being an empath. She brought her mind back to her own shields, to concentrate at the task at hand. Down they came, layer by layer until…wham! Wind-rider through her shields back up and clutched at her heart, which was beating way to fast. A myriad of feeling had slammed into her. Resonant fear, horror, apprehension, and sheer relief at being alive coursed through her veins. Wind-rider stared up in awe at the ship, wondering what in the world Shereema had done to these people to test their strength and will.

"Good gods" she whispered, "What happened to them during the storm?" Wind-rider shivered slightly, trying to imagine what had shaken these people to the core of their being. "They're worried, too. In trouble, and worried." That was a good sign at least. They were safe, in as much as Wind-rider would dare to state. Now to figure out what they wanted…Wind-rider grinned mischievously. Even if these people were shaken, she had an island to protect and that meant no special treatment until she was absolutely sure they couldn't be a threat. She chuckled to herself. Her father had done this once, to the last ship that had come ten years ago.

Urging her board higher, Wind-rider stood up and peered carefully over the deck, searching for what she wanted. Circling back around to the stern, she grabbed a torn piece of sail that was larger than she was when no one was looking. The crew of the ship, _The Thousand Sunny_, she noted from the name painted on its side, was trying to keep the ship in one piece as it was steered though the bay to port. It was in bad shape, to say the least. Wind-rider through the sail over her head so that it draped down over her entire body and the front of her board. She ripped eye-holes and one for her mouth. Cackling evilly to herself, she rose up to hover ten feet above the deck and above the crew. One of them, a young man with a rather long nose, saw her and started sputtering.

"G…g…guys!" he yelled, "G…g…ghost!" His legs seemed to turn to jelly as he sank to the floor. Wind-rider tried really hard not to laugh; it would spoil her fun and her intention of obtaining information. She certainly had the crew's attention now, though.

"State your intentions" she said, in the deep, hoarse voice her father had used. It had creeped her out the first time she'd heard it, so hopefully it would work. It did.

"Eek!" screamed a red-headed girl as she ran to hide behind the mast. A strange looking creature that looked like a deer (_Oh, a zoan_, thought Wind-rider) clambered onto one of his companion's back, a man who wielded three swords. _Huh, very interesting_. One, however, didn't seem to be frightened. A boy with a straw hat. He sighed and rubbed his face with his hand.

"You know, if this were any other time I would be overjoyed to see a ghost." He looked like he had a headache. "But right now, we're just too tired and worn out. What do you want?"

Wind-rider almost dropped the charade. Her heart went out to them because she could hear the strain in his voice. They had been though a lot. But she couldn't afford to stop now; she had to know if they would be a threat. So she kept going, even though it hurt her to cause anymore pain.

"State your intentions" she repeated, although she dropped the fake voice. The boy sighed again.

"My ship is falling apart and my crew, including myself, is exhausted. We need to make repairs, we need supplies, and we need rest." Wind-rider nodded. It was clearly an honest statement.

"Very well. Who are you, then?"

"We're pirates" said the man with the swords bluntly. He had finally managed to pry the deer zoan off his shoulders.

"Yes, I can see that" Wind-rider replied. "I meant, 'who are you', specifically. I want bounty numbers and names." The crew blanched. The last thing any of them wanted was a fight, and Wind-rider knew it.

"Why do you care?" said a tall woman wearing a purple outfit.

"Because" Wind-rider smiled under the sheet, "You're pirates. I need to judge whether or not my town will be wiped from the planet after you've rested." The woman nodded.

"Our ghost here has a point" she conceded. "Nico Robin, 88 million beri." Wind-rider whistled softly to herself, her eyes growing wide. She wondered if this crew was who she thought it might be.

"Monkey D. Luffy, 300 million."

"Roronoah Zoro, 120 million" and on and on, until Wind-rider had every name and every certainty that these were the Straw Hat pirates. The same ones who had saved Arabasta from ruin, who had defeated both Baroque Works and the Cipher Pol. She smiled to herself, thanking Shereema and her wisdom. She had let in a band of truly honorable people. A little glimmer of hope grew inside her.

"Well" she said to them, "The Straw Hat pirates are welcome guests. Allow me to introduce myself…" the sheet was flung off into the water, "My name is Wind-rider." If she had been hoping to impress them, it had worked beautifully. The pirates stared at her, or rather, the board.

"She's not a ghost!" cried Usopp, "I knew it all along."

"Then why were you rolling on the deck, hugging your knees?" asked Chopper.

"Never mind that" said Luffy, his jaw dropping, "How are you doing that? Just floating in the air, if you aren't a ghost?"

"Hehe, oh this?" Wind-rider asked as she landed on the deck, "I ate the Kaze Kaze fruit. My abilities are with the wind. The board just helps me balance."

"WOW! Can I try it?" Wind-rider stared at the captain. He reminded her of her brother when he'd asked to ride when he was four.

"Erm…maybe later, I promise" she said, patting his head, "Right now lets get you guys into port so I can convince the Clans not to blow you out of the water."

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A/N: Hope you like it XD, remember: authors live on reviews


	4. Along Came a Viper

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, Oda-sensei does, and he's a genius

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"You don't get it do you…" 

Wind-rider was having a difficult time convincing the Clan elders that the pirates currently docked in their harbor were not about to ransack the place. Rain-cloud, at least, was convinced, so it didn't really matter what the other two elders thought, but majority ruled and even though there were usually five elders, a majority of two would have to do. Thankfully Rain-cloud was slightly more level headed. _At least he can look at a situation objectively_, thought Wind-rider. She sighed again.

"I'm telling you, they aren't going to burn down the town" she said, exasperated. "They defeated the Cipher Pol and you know how much trouble they've been, asking too many questions."

"All the more reason that they shouldn't be allowed" stated Diamond-star.

"I agree" seconded Summer-moon, "They are too powerful." Wind-rider shook her hands in desperation at them.

"Arg! That's the point! Shereema wouldn't have let them enter our waters if she hadn't believed that they could be helpful in some way. I was watching that storm. She threw a doozy at them, but they made it through. She wants them here for one reason or another. These are good people, and I should know, being an empath of the island. I swear it on my own grave!"

The elders looked at her cautiously. Even Rain-cloud, who was on her side, was wondering if she may have gone too far in order to convince his companions.

"Would you?" asked Summer-moon warily, "Even though the consequence for being wrong is to spend eternity outside of paradise?" Wind-rider narrowed her eyes.

"Yes, that's how much I believe I'm right. I swear it here and now on my own grave" _Not that I believe in that anyway, so I don't know what good it will do. As long as it works…_ The elders watched her. She saw something in their eyes. Disbelief…possibly a little respect? It didn't really matter anyway. Wind-rider watched the three lean in to converse with one another.

"Very well. For your soul's sake I hope you are correct" said Summer-moon. A smile touched Wind-rider's lips; she was pleased with her victory.

"I am" she stated bluntly. "May I tell them that they can come ashore now?" They nodded and Wind-rider jumped up and was out the door in a flash. She grabbed her board on the way out, threw it ahead of her, and jumped on it while running.

Aboard the Sunny the Straw Hat pirates awaited Wind-rider's return eagerly. As much as each liked the sea, they were all quite ready to set foot on land for a while. The storm had shaken them up enough. Nami was scanning the shore line when she spotted her.

"Look, there she is!" she shouted to the others. They all came up to the side of the deck as Wind-rider landed.

"Well…will your town let us come over?" asked Robin. Wind-rider smiled broadly.

"No worries, hey?" she said, "Just try not to break anything." She chuckled to herself as the pirates jumped gleefully and whooped. "Come on, I'll give you a tour." Wind-rider led the pirates to the dock. She was vaguely amused at the dingy they used, a little ship of its own with a cute ram's head. She also cringed briefly when she saw who was waiting for them. The elders.

_Of course…what was I expecting anyway. For them not welcome the only guests we've had in ten years? Yeah right Rider._

"Welcome to the island of the She'lya Clan" smiled Rain-cloud, opening his arms in a kind gesture. "We are the elders in charge. I am Rain-cloud, and these are my esteemed colleagues, Diamond-star and Summer-moon."

"Monkey D. Luffy, pleased to meet ya" said Luffy, "Is there any place where I can eat?" The pirates collectively smacked their foreheads with their hands. Nami, in an attempt to be slightly more diplomatic, thumped Luffy on the head.

"So sorry about him. Thank you very much for allowing us to stay here" she said gracefully. Rain-cloud raised an eyebrow, a small smile quirking the corner of his mouth. He put up a hand to keep the other two elders from talking.

"I'm sure that after you frightful experience you are all starving. There is a little restaurant just up that street over there" he said, pointing, "As our guests, it's on the house." Again, the pirates smacked their foreheads.

"You'll regret those words" mumbled Sanji, thinking of Luffy's appetite. Wind-rider, however, was grateful for the easy way out that Rain-cloud had given her and jumped on the offer. She didn't want to deal with the other two elders' misgivings as it was.

"This way." she said and walked off. The pirates were quick to follow.

About two hours later Wind-rider was beginning to understand just why the pirates had had misgivings about allowing the meal to be on the house. She had never seen one person eat so much in her entire life. Luffy was wolfing down plate after plate after plate. Finally he leaned back and sighed in a content manner.

"That was good." The chef smiled and thanked him, returning to the kitchen to tackle the mound of dishes that had appeared in her sink. Nami, who had gone outside for a moment, came back in.

"There's another storm brewing." Wind-rider looked at her quizzically.

"How can you tell? I haven't felt the air currents change yet."

"The air pressure changed. A low pressure system is about to hit a high pressure system and create a big thunderstorm." Wind-rider raised her eyebrows in acknowledgement of Nami's assessment because a second later she felt the wind out to sea pick up.

"You're right" she said to Nami, "That was really impressive. I never thought I'd meet anyone who could sense a storm before I could." Nami glowed in the praise. "I'd rather not be caught in it, if it's all the same to you" Wind-rider said to the others, "I've got to pick up my little brother from school, but you can crash at my place. It's big enough for all of you, I think."

* * *

"And then came this humungous wave. It must have been 80 feet high at least!"

"No, Usopp, it was way higher" said Chopper. "It was so scary."

They were all huddled around Wind-rider's fireplace, which had a lovely fire roaring in it. The clouds, dark and heavy with their burden, had finally unleashed a torrent of water upon their heads, thoroughly soaking all of them to the bone. Wind-rider, of course, knew that the storm was keeping another ship from reaching the islands due to Shereema's protection. Whether the pirates sitting in her living room would ever find that out, Wind-rider shrugged mentally. It depended on too many things. As it was, each was nursing a hot cup of tea. Usopp, being the best story teller, was relating their adventure during the storm. Fire-fox, who was now six, was sitting on Wind-rider's lap and was making appropriate "oohs" and "wow's" at the exciting parts.

"Wow" said Fire-fox in awe, "did you hear that Je-, uhh, Rider?"

"You mean to tell me that you saw a rouge wave?" asked Wind-rider in astonishment. "How the hell did you get out of that one?" The pirates looked at each other, hoping one would speak up.

"Well…I'm not exactly sure. None of us are really." said Nami, sipping her tea. Luffy shifted his weight and fiddled with his hat. He looked uncomfortable.

"Not completely" he said meekly. The crew looked at him.

"You mean you know what happened?" asked Nami "and you didn't tell us?"

"But you'll think I'm crazy" he whined. Zoro snorted.

"Probably. Tell us anyway." Luffy made a face.

"Mmmm…well, I was staring at the huge wave which was about to smash us and I said something like 'we're always at the mercy of the sea' and then this voice started talking to me out of nowhere and said that we might be helpful and then something made me tie down the sail and the wind picked it up and shot the Sunny off one wave and through the big, nasty wave and we shot down it and then the ship kept sailing only I wasn't watching and I think the wind steered us out of the storm" said Luffy very fast in one breath. Everyone stared at him.

"Neh, see, I said you'd think I was crazy."

"That sounds like a story I would tell" said Usopp, "very good."

"It happened! I swear it! I…Wind-rider why are you looking at me funny?" Wind-rider shook her head and snapped her mouth closed. Her jaw had dropped while listening to Luffy's explanation and she couldn't believe her ears.

"Luffy…" she began slowly, "what did the voice sound like?" _She couldn't have. She never would_, thought Wind-rider frantically. _If she did, what could it mean? Shereema never talks to any one that doesn't belong to the Clans…_

"Like…like…like water, if that makes any sense" replied Luffy, looking at her and cocking his head to the right in askance. Wind-rider leaned back against her couch and put her hand to her face. Then the sirens went off. She stiffened, staring about wildly. Fire-fox jumped to his feet.

"What's that? What's wrong" asked Chopper.

"Something very, very bad" said Wind-rider in panic, "I've gotta go, now. Fire-fox, please, please stay here. Be safe, okay." She gave him a hug, grabbed her board, and bolted out the door. The pirates glanced at one another and then scrambled after her. Outside they could see her speeding down to the town and no one needed to ask why anymore.

It was on fire. The whole lower portion was ablaze. The flames lit up the cloudy sky with an eerie orange glow. Rain was pouring down, as if the storm was trying to put it out, but to no avail.

BOOM!

"What the hell was that?!" yelled Sanji.

"It was cannon fire" said Usopp, "sounded just like one." He pulled his goggles down. "Oi, I can see a ship in the harbor! It's the one firing."

"Hey, come on, come on, lets go!" yelled Luffy, who was already halfway down the hill.

"Where are we going?!" screamed Nami into the wind.

"The dock!"

"Oh let me lead then, you always get lost right when we need you. You too, Zoro" yelled Nami. The crew sped down the hill in the direction Wind-rider had gone. No one was there to notice a small figure peak out of the house and begin to follow.

As they got closer to the dock gunshots could be heard. Cannon fire was now going in both directions, although the town was clearly out-gunned. Nami rounded a corner, stood there for a second, and scrambled back around it, breathing heavily.

"What? What is it?" asked Franky. Nami swallowed.

"Men. Lots of men. With guns, swords, maces, you name it. They've got some kind of hostage, I think."

"Pffft, no problem. We've dealt with this before" said Luffy and walked around the corner himself.

"No, Luffy, WAIT!" but it was too late.

Luffy didn't make it more than five steps. He tried to move forward, he really did, but he couldn't. His mind was telling his feet to go forward but some part of his subconscious mind was refusing point blank to obey. All he could do was watch as the scene unfold before him.

Wind-rider was facing the men (_are they pirates_, Luffy wondered). They were whispering and pointing and chuckling, looking her up and down. Wind-rider shivered slightly, but was otherwise unfazed. She was doing a remarkable job of not panicking and was staring the men down. One man was out front, clearly the leader but Luffy couldn't make out any details, and was holding one of the elders (_Summer-moon…was that his name?_) by the back of his neck, squeezing hard. A knife was at his throat and he already had numerous slashes along his arms and torso. Blood covered the wooden dock, glinting in the orange glow of the fire. Behind the throng of men Luffy could see ten more people, face down and unmoving. He growled deeply and tried with all his might to move. Wind-rider slowly clenched her fists.

"Let him go" she hissed. The man chuckled.

"After all these years what makes you think I will obey you? I'm immune to your tricks, as you very well know. I can't be made to do anything, my kechara1." Wind-rider stiffened visibly and a shudder racked her light frame. The man sneered.

"No, no, NO!" she whimpered and clutched her head, "Get out of my mind, OUT!" A ripple of energy shot out and made the man stumble. His face darkened and he narrowed his eyes.

"Hmm…you've become stronger since we last met" he stated.

"A lot has happened, Rakhar" she spat his name out, like it was poison. "Let Summer-moon go." Wind-rider and the man locked eyes and an unseen battle raged. Each was trying to make the other submit to his or her will. The man named Rakhar raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps I shall…amuse you" he drew the words out, becoming suggestive. Wind-rider clenched her fists tighter. The man smirked, enjoying her visible discomfort. He pushed Summer-moon forward so that he stumbled. He'd lost so much blood he could barely walk. The elder had moved one step when Rakhar lunged out with his left arm. Summer-moon gasped in pain and made unintelligible gurgling noises as blood began to pour from his mouth. He dropped to his knees and fell to the dock face first. A dagger was protruding from his back.

Luffy swallowed, so angry that he couldn't to anything to help. Neither could the others, apparently, because they would have rounded the corner by now if they could. Wind-rider choked back a sob, tears running silently down her face. Then, from out of nowhere, a small form darted out from a side alley and barreled into Rakhar's leg. He yelped in pain and kicked the figure, which hit the side of a house with a thump and fell to the ground. Wind-rider sucked in her breath and fell to her knees. She was in shock and now was at Rakhar's mercy because he had gained the upper hand in her moment of mental weakness.

"No, please no" she pleaded. "Rakhar, not him, please…" He turned to face her, mock astonishment on his face.

"What's this now? Are you worried about this small runt of a child?" He laughed and walked menacingly to the boy. Wind-rider whimpered again.

"Fire-fox run! Get away from him, quick!" It was no use. Rakhar held the boy fast with his menacing gaze. The child's eyes were wide with horror, his mouth opened in a silent scream. He flailed back and forth at some unseen foe. Then he shuddered and laid still. Wind-rider put her hands to her face and was now shaking with choking sobs. Rakhar stepped back, pleased with his work, and looked Wind-rider over.

"Hmm…I seem to have accomplished enough tonight. I'll see you later…kechara" he said seductively. All he received in response was a moan. "Come on, men, we're going home."

"What about the sea?" asked one, his eyes darting uneasily to the turbulent waters.

"What about them? Shereema couldn't kill us coming in; she certainly can't kill us going out. Onward." Rakhar and his men boarded the rowboats and returned to their ship. It finally left the safety of the harbor and vanished into sight, battling the storm.

The fire was slowly dying out, its roar quieted. The dock was quiet except for the occasional rumble of thunder and patter of rain. Wind-rider was still kneeling on the dock; her arms now limp at her sides. She was shaking violently. Luffy had been still for so long that it took him a minute to realize he could move. He stumbled a little and then ran to Wind-rider's side.

"Wind-rider, hey, snap out of it" said Luffy. She looked up at him with red eyes swollen from crying. He blanched. Her eyes were hollow, as if all the life had been drained out of them even though her heart was still beating.

"Chopper! Chopper, I need a doctor!" yelled Luffy. The others finally came running around the corner, legs stiff from being held still. Chopper ran straight to Luffy and Wind-rider. He held her face up and saw her eyes and cringed.

"She's in shock" said Chopper, "She's had serious mental trauma. What happened?" Luffy was about to answer but someone else entered the scene. Rain-cloud kneeled by Wind-rider's side and put two fingers on her forehead. Then he sighed and shook his head.

"This happened twice before, we know how to handle it" Rain-cloud said wearily. "What she needs is rest right now. Are you really a doctor?" he asked of Chopper, who nodded. "Please take care of her. Take her back to her house. We have to fight this fire and gather up our dead. I'm sorry to push this upon you, but since she isn't in danger of dying she can't be my first priority. I need to save the rest of my people and my town. And if you can, please help us." Luffy nodded solemnly.

"How many of you can stay and help with the fire?" Luffy asked, turning around to look at his crew. Nami, Franky, Robin, Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji all raised their hands. In spite of the dire situation Luffy smiled proudly at them. "Okay then. I'll go with Chopper to help him. Do your best guys."

"Just make sure you tell us what happened in the morning" said Sanji.

"Don't worry, you all deserve an explanation after what you've witnessed" said Rain-cloud, "And I promise to give you one. But right now, I have more pressing needs." He got up and walked briskly away. The crew followed him, ready to help put out the rest of the blaze. Only Luffy, Chopper, and Wind-rider were left on the dock, the only ones alive, anyway.

Chopper pulled out a needle and administered a shot to Wind-rider. She slowly closed her eyes and slumped backward to lean on Luffy. She was fast asleep. Luffy wrapped his arms around Wind-rider and gently picked her up.

"Come on Luffy" said Chopper heavily, "Lets go." They began the trek back to Wind-rider's house. Her head rested softly on Luffy's shoulder. He shook his head.

"What did I just see?" he asked her quietly, even though he new no answer would come. "What happened to you?"

They entered her house, thankful that the door was unlocked. Chopper found her room and Luffy put her down carefully, as if she was a fragile piece of glass.

"She has a slight fever" Chopper said, rubbing his face, "but nothing I can't handle. Will you get a damp wash cloth?" Luffy left the room and Chopper looked Wind-rider over. He checked her pulse, but it was stable. Luffy returned and handed him the cloth. Chopper placed it on her forehead and then sat back in a chair.

"Well" said Luffy, "Is she gonna be okay?"

"I've dealt with cases of shock before" replied Chopper, "But nothing this intense. Even shock victims are still somewhat responsive to the world, but it's like she's dead, almost, even though she's clearly not. The elder, Rain-cloud, said it happened before, however. I'm not too worried, but I want to stay here, just in case. She'll sleep the night through, hopefully. What I gave her should keep the dreams away." Luffy sat back in his own chair and let out a sigh. A few minutes later he was fast asleep, tired out from fighting the invisible force that had held him immobile. Chopper settled back and closed his eyes.

_I'll just rest for a minute_, he thought. One minute later and he, too, was sleeping soundly.

* * *

A/N: eh, things are heating up. In case any of this doesn't make an sense, the next chapter will see a reasonable explination, for the readers and our favorite pirates who are currently very confused. XD 

1: the word "kechara" comes from the books of Mercedes Lackey, I didn't make it up. You'll find out what it means later.

Flubber Wubber: neh, thanks for the review. I'm not sure why I didn't title the chapters. I think I forgot. Heh, consider it a blond moment. I'm glad you like the story so far, I hope it keeps up. And you're right, Nami is way cool.


	5. History 101

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, Oda-sensei does. I do own the story though, and any of the characters who aren't in the manga/anime.

* * *

_Tap…tap tap…tap…TAP TAP TAP…_

Chopper shifted in the chair he was sleeping in. He didn't like whatever the intruding noise was, but he wished it would go away. _TAP TAP TAP._ Damn, there it was again. He opened his eyes blearily and gazed about, taking in his surroundings. For a minute he didn't realize where he was. Then it all came rushing back. The reindeer leapt to his feet, berating himself for falling asleep when he had a patient to attend to. Chopper was relieved to see that Wind-rider was still sleeping soundly. Her fever had broken during the night as well, a good sign. _TAP TAP TAP TAP_.

"Oi, Chopper" whispered a voice outside the window, "Let us in, will you?" Chopper spun about to see Sanji peering in through the panes of glass. He blinked.

"Sanji, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to get inside the place without making a lot of noise, and you're making it difficult" he whispered again, nodding toward Wind-rider's sleeping figure. Chopper's mouth formed a silent "O" and he rushed to the front door to oblige. His crewmates came pouring inside, along with Rain-cloud who trailed behind. He went straight to Wind-rider's bedside.

"How is she doing?" he asked Chopper. The reindeer shrugged.

"Great, in a relative sense. Her fever's gone, and she wasn't suffering from hypothermia. But I wouldn't exactly say she's in great shape in regard to everything else. What did you mean last night when you said this had happened before?" Chopper waved a hoof in Wind-rider's general direction. Rain-cloud sighed.

"We tend to call it a self-induced state of withdrawal" the elder said, rubbing his forehead. "She somehow does it instinctively so as not to project any harmful emotions during times of great stress or crisis. It's only this intense when something truly traumatic occurs." The pirates looked at him blankly.

"What do you mean by project?" asked Zoro, "It doesn't make sense."

Rain-cloud rubbed his temples. "I'm not getting anywhere, am I? As always I seem to start in the middle of a tale. Let us return to the beginning, you deserve the entire truth, it seems. Last night made that clear enough. Follow me, please."

"Where are we going?" inquired Nami.

"To my clan's ancient archives. They will aid me in my explanation."

Rain-cloud walked out the door, beckoning the others to follow. Robin was first out the door; her eyes alight with curiosity, being the archaeologist that she was. They had all piled out of the door when Zoro stopped, a quizzical look on his face.

"Oi, aren't we forgetting someone?" he said, "Our captain?" The others turned around sheepishly.

"Well where is he?" asked Franky.

"He's still fast asleep" replied Chopper.

"Maybe we should just leave him be" said Nami, "Besides, we all know Luffy. He probably won't take in much of what Rain-cloud's going to tell us anyway. That way someone will be left with Wind-rider." The crew nodded. Nami went back inside and found a sheet of paper to write down a note. She left it on the kitchen table.

"There, he can't possibly miss that" she said, turning to Rain-cloud, "Lead the way." The elder nodded and moved on again. Rain-cloud led them up the hill, past Wind-rider's house, to a small, slightly overgrown footpath which seemed to lead up to the volcanic mountain of the island. The volcano, while not extinct, had been dormant for thousands of years and was not currently showing any signs of erupting anytime soon. The area was secluded and hard enough to get to that it had provided an opportune space for the archives. While the party trudged up the hill side, Rain-cloud began explaining where precisely they were going.

"The place I am about to take you is considered sacred ground to my clan" he said, "There is a ritual you must go through to cleanse you spirits of any negative energy before entering. My people are a spiritual one, and believe that such energy could damage the archives."

"How would that happen, exactly?" inquired Robin, who was charged with curiosity. Rain-cloud smiled.

"It is rather hard to explain unless one is viewing them. You'll see. The ritual does not entail much. A cleansing of the body with water from a sacred spring that flows out from underneath the ground of the volcano. Each of you must also eat one of the Pipin-ridge berries, which are believed to cleanse the spirit. For the cleansing of the mind an amulet made of Kiya wood imbedded with turquoise is worn around the neck." Robin, fascinated, engaged in a detailed conversation about the symbolism of the ritual. Everyone else simply continued climbing…up and up and up. It almost seemed as if the path would never end.

It did, of course, as all paths must. The party stopped in front of a large cave. The mouth must have been 100 feet high. Surrounding the entrance was a large shrine made of a deep red wood engraved with mysterious symbols outlined in gold. All around small bushes grew with deep green berries. Chopper stared in wonder at the cave. Back on Drum Island, he had seen his fair share of them, but there was nothing that could compare to this. In fact, he noticed, it wasn't even natural because the entire rock face was far to smooth, to precisely cut. He mentioned this to his crewmates. Rain-cloud raised an eyebrow in approval.

"Your friend is quite correct" he stated, "This cave was carved out around one thousand years ago by mine and the other clans ancestors, before we split up into the seven that exist today. They understood the value of preserving information. Come just inside, there is a chamber where the cleansing occurs." The party entered the cave, passing a guard who nodded Rain-cloud inside. The pirates stared up in wonder.

Patterns traced the entire surface, the floor included. Intricate designs, which looked strangely like letters, pulsed with an eerie red glow. No other light was needed. It was like nothing any of them had ever seen before. Rain-cloud looked up in appreciation and satisfaction. The glow from the red liquid lit up his eyes.

"What you see here is the ancient writing system of my people. Somehow my ancestors figured out a way to channel up the magma housed under the volcano and send it coursing through these tubes, which they created to record our history. Unfortunately the art of doing so was lost, and around 400 years ago the entire text was rewritten on large, stone blocks. We may have lost half a century or so of history, but the majority is still preserved. The reason why you need to be cleansed is my people believe that the magma is sacred because it flowed up from under the sea, which all the Clans hold at the highest point of worship. Negative energy could anger the sea and cause an eruption, or so my people say."

Rain-cloud led them to a deep pool of clear water. There were two sides, separated by a curtain stretched across the water.

"This is where the cleansing beings. Please immerse yourselves entirely."

* * *

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" 

Luffy awoke to a blood curdling scream. It startled him so much that he fell out of the chair he had fallen asleep in. He stared around wildly and saw Wind-rider lashing about on the bed. She was clearly asleep but was tossing about in the clutches of some horrendous dream. Luffy grabbed her arms and tried to shake her awake.

"Hey Wind-rider!" he yelled, trying not to get hit, "Wake up!"

Much to his utter confusion this only seemed to make Wind-rider even more frightened. She ripped her arms out of Luffy's grasp and punched him right across the jaw. A huge gust of wind picked him up and threw him against the wall.

"Get away from me Rakhar, you bastard!" she screamed in her sleep.

Luffy pushed himself up off the floor, rubbing his jaw which already sported a bruise. He wondered frantically what he should do and looked for Chopper. Damn it, where was Chopper when he needed him? He tried to imagine what the reindeer would do. First he thought of a tranquilizing drug, but since Chopper obviously wasn't here… It was out of the question. Luffy ran his hands through his hair.

"Aha! Got it!" he yelled to himself and ran into the kitchen. Shock, that's what Chopper would do. Shock her system out of it. He returned with a deep pan full of ice water which he proceeded to dump unceremoniously on Wind-rider. The frigid water washed over her face and body and she shot up, sputtering. She stared about in confusion for a minute before her green eyes settled on Luffy. Recognition dawned in the green orbs and suddenly Luffy was hit right in the chest with…..something. He staggered backward, trying to catch his balance. Whatever it was had made him feel miserable, terrified, angry, and disgusted all at the same time. Luffy breathed in deeply and stared at Wind-rider, clutching his chest. Her eyes narrowed in askance but then shot wide open. Instantly the foreign feelings left Luffy alone and he sat down unsteadily. Wind-rider just sank back down to her bed and began to cry.

Luffy rubbed his temples. He was way out of his depth here. Wind-rider was shaking as sobs racked her light frame. He simply sat there for a few minutes, watching her. Luffy had absolutely no idea what to do. He wished Chopper was there. _Hey, where is he anyway?_ Luffy glanced over the bed at the crying figure on it. He wondered briefly if he should leave the room, but decided that it didn't seem like she would be going anywhere. He got up silently and left, but he kept the door open so he would be able to hear if anything was wrong. _Hah, like it isn't already?_ Luffy wandered back into the kitchen. There he spied a note on the table.

_Luffy,_

_This is you're crew. Rain-cloud, the elder, is going to take us somewhere and explain what is going on. Sorry, but we had to leave someone with Wind-rider and you were fast asleep so we decided that you were the best choice. We'll tell you everything when we get back, whenever that is. Don't go anywhere!_

"Well that explains it" Luffy muttered to himself. "I was wondering where everyone had gone." He sighed softly, thinking of what had happened to him in the past few days. Storms, disembodied voices talking to him, witnessing cold-blooded murder… He was so lost in his musings that he didn't hear the figure walk shakily up to the door. The figure stopped at the door frame, shoulders stooped, and swallowed.

"L….Luffy?" the figure said quietly, a breeze ruffling her hair even though the windows were all closed.

Luffy looked up and saw Wind-rider leaning against the door. She looked like hell. Her hair was mussed up. Her eyes were sunken in and red from crying. There was a slight glimmer of reality in them, but they still had that dead feeling to them. Every now and then a shudder ran through her body. Wind-rider moved slowly to a chair, carefully, so her legs wouldn't collapse under her. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"What happened last night?" she asked, her voice shaky, holding back more tears. Luffy narrowed his eyes in confusion and raised an eyebrow.

"You don't remember?" Wind-rider shut her eyes in pain.

"I remember….it's just….please tell me I was dreaming." She was pleading with him, holding on to one last hope like her life depended on it. _It just might_, Luffy thought to himself. He hated to do it, to rip that hope away, but he had to.

"You weren't Wind-rider" he said quietly, "It all happened." She nodded silently as the salty liquid spilled down her cheeks once more and turned away. Luffy still didn't know how to deal with this, so instead he just waited. A foreign feeling of anguish, one that wasn't his own, crept into him, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. He glanced over at Wind-rider to see that she had clenched the sides of the chair tightly. Finally she sighed deeply and let go.

"I'm sorry" she said. Luffy was taken aback. That was the last thing he'd expected her to say.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. You're all in danger now and it's all my fault" she sniffed, "If I'd only listened…" She rested her head in her hands. Luffy sat down in the chair opposite her and rested his arms on the table and waited. At length, Wind-rider began to speak. It took all her self control to keep her voice steady, to not break down again. The tale, Luffy would think later, was one that Usopp would be proud of.

* * *

Back in the cave of the archives the pirates had finished the cleansing ritual. Rain-cloud gave them one last inspection before nodding his approval that it was safe for them to proceed. 

"Very well" the elder stated, "Now, if you will please follow me once more, I will give you the contents of the secrets you are seeking." Rain-cloud led the group to the far end of the chamber. On the smooth rock face was an area where no magma flowed. It was in this space that Rain-cloud ran his hands over the rock, searching. At last his seeking fingers found what they were looking for and pressed in. A small part of the rock gave way in the shape of a crescent. Cranks and gears began to turn and a door slowly opened before them, revealing a winding staircase leading deeper and farther down into the volcano. Franky went to inspect the workmanship.

"This is superb, man" he said, examining the door, "It looks and feels just like rock. When you tap it, there isn't any hollow sound. How did you do that?"

Rain-cloud smiled. "I didn't. It was made hundreds of years ago, when the history in the magma was rewritten. I am sorry to disappoint you, but I have no knowledge of how it was accomplished." Franky's brow furrowed in slight annoyance and it seemed as if he would like nothing better than to take the secret door apart to find out, but he restrained himself.

"Come then, this way, and be careful of your footing."

Rain-cloud led the pirates down the stairs. Even though the magma provided that eerie red-orange glow, it was still precarious. The problem was that the magma pulsated, fading in and out so the light was never the same strength from one moment to the next. The stairs were steep and not very wide. They had to proceed in single file. One false move could send the entire party tumbling down with nothing to halt them. Down and down they went, deeper into the heart of the volcano. It became steadily warmer, not quite to the point of uncomforting, but right on the threshold. At last the stairs ended and the pirates reached level ground.

The group entered yet another chamber, this one grander than the last. The magma tubes covered every inch of the place, including the floor, winding and twisting in beautiful patterns that would never make sense to them. And there, in the center of the chamber, surrounded by a low barrier of crystal, were the archives. Robin gasped and dropped to her knees. She was too lost for words to speak.

Phoneglyphs. Five, massive Phoneglyphs stood within the ring of crystal. Their surfaces were covered with writing. Rain-cloud glanced at the archaeologist and raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, I see you all are familiar with these pieces of history" he said mildly. Robin gulped.

"These are my life's work" she said shakily, "I've searched for years to find the phoneglyphs of the lost history. Are these…?" Rain-cloud smiled gently.

"In a way, I suppose you could say that. These phoneglyphs do not tell of the entire lost history which you are seeking, but record my people's history, which I do believe was lost from yours some time ago. I am quite glad I can say that we are only a legend to most of the people of our world." Robin's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She rose to her feet.

"You can't possibly be the descendants of the Clan She'Toya!" she exclaimed, shaking her head, "It just can't be possible."

"As a historian you should know that all things are possible" Rain-cloud smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement. He bowed. "Guilty as charged." Robin put a hand to her face.

"Oh my god…" she whispered and leaned against the rock wall for support. The rest of the pirates, who had been watching the exchange, glanced at one another.

"Would anyone care to explain what is going on?" asked Nami, a little annoyed. Rain-cloud turned around, startled.

"Oh my sincerest apologies, my friends" he said, sheepishly, "Come, let me begin at the beginning." He crossed the chamber to the ancient phoneglyphs. "I suggest you all sit, for this is a long tale."

"Imagine the world around 850 years ago. There was no World Government, no Golden Age of piracy, none of the kingdoms you now know of sat upon the map. It was a different place, one fraught with danger. If any of you know your history well, as I am sure Miss Robin does, then you know that a great war was occurring. It was christened the War of the Curses by those who would later come to study it, and was fought across all of Red Line. The war, in fact, raged for yet another 50 years. Nothing is known of the century that came after the war. It is the Lost History, as Miss Robin knows. The war had begun as little more than an argument. Some of those blessed and cursed with the abilities of the Devil Fruits started to think that they were better than their fellows. They wanted power, authority, to be worshiped. Others with the abilities disagreed, believing that they had no right to impose their will upon others who were weaker."

"The argument spun out of control. More and more people, with and without the Devil Fruits, began to take sides and it blossomed into a war. The fighting was terrible; thousands upon thousands of lives were lost. The two sides were named by history as the Blessed, fighting for free will, and the Cursed, fighting to destroy it. The fighting crept closer and closer to Grand Line and this is where my ancestors come in."

"Back then they were united as one clan, Clan She'Toya, which in our ancient language means Children of the Sea. I am sad to say that one man within the group rose to power on the side of the Cursed, the only one to do so. He was cunning, devious, seductive, and very convincing. The man's name was Rakhar and he knew of a secret so powerful that if his plans were to succeed then the Blessed would have had no chance. To put things in a nutshell the Clan had been given control of the Devil Fruits, all of them. 50 years before, as the war was ramping up, the Sea herself had taken human form and appeared before my ancestors. Shocked the stuffing out of them, too, I believe."

"'You have not yet taken sides in this war' she said." (Rain-cloud was now reading text off of the Phoneglyphs). "'And yet everyone else has. Why so?'"

"Now, you see, Clan She'Toya had always been neutral. Through every squabble, coup, and riot and the war was no different to them. Life would go on and the Clan would survive even through hardship. The Sea knew this, of course, but wanted an answer from the heart."

"'Your Majesty' began an elder, Moon-beam, humbly, 'We are a people of the sea, your domain. Our livelihood depends on it as much as plants depend on water and sunlight. It is part of our blood, our very spirit. Sympathize with the fighters, that we do, but it is not our fight to enter. It is between the Devil Fruit users, never mind that regular people have taken up arms. It is they who must reconcile their actions; we cannot do it for them. Just as you are an entity unto yourself, Majesty, as are we. We do not take sides. We know, too, that the Devil Fruits are your creations. As you cannot be controlled, neither can those who consume the fruits, so it is pointless to fight.'"

"The Sea, it is said, smiled in approval and offered them a deal. 'Guard the Devil Fruits' she said, 'Keep them safe. Grow and nurture them and allow only five into the world each year. I can no longer afford to account for them because I myself wish to take a side, that of my own. I need a people of neutrality to watch over them. Do this for me and I shall lead you to a place of peace, one where my secret will never be discovered.'"

"My ancestors accepted her offer. The Sea went on to fight her battle. The Cursed and Blessed eventually realized that any transportation over the sea was impossible, mainly because every ship tied to the war sank. The Sea, as we all know, can be merciless. She also guided my ancestors to this collection of seven islands. It was then that they realized the Sea had more in store for them. 'In order to keep the Devil Fruits safe' she said, 'That which grows them must be hidden. I myself will take care of that, and only one among your number may know its location. The key, however, you will keep.' Unfortunately none of us are sure what exactly the key is, or if it even looks like a key, but it is split up into seven different parts, which is why Clan She'Toya split up and occupied the seven islands, each taking a piece of the key with them. Neither do we know who it is that knew the secret location of the Devil Fruits. The Sea said 'Not to worry. When the time comes the information will be passed on to a person of my choice.'"

Rain-cloud paused and looked at his rapt audience.

"Are you taking in all of this?" he asked politely. The pirates blinked and shut their mouths. Each nodded slowly.

"You are in charge of the Devil Fruits?" asked Chopper in awe. Rain-cloud smiled and nodded his head. "But does the World Government know that?" Rain-cloud looked pointedly at Robin, indicating that she should answer.

"The history of the Clan of She'Toya was mostly lost after they disappeared" she said, rubbing her temples. "The story of their bargain with the Sea passed on into legend. The World Government is aware, but I'm not sure they have any evidence."

"Quite right" stated Rain-cloud, "They are currently very suspicious. CP9 somehow managed to make contact with members of the clans who had gone to gather information on what was happening in the outside world for us. They asked far too many questions. My thanks to you for taking care of the problem." He bowed deeply. The pirates grinned at each other.

"Shall I continue?"

"YES!" they cried in unison. A grin curled at the corners of Rain-cloud's mouth.

"For the next 40 years the Clan, or rather, the Clans, kept their promise and remained neutral as they always had been. Life went on much the way it had, as if the bargain almost hadn't been made at all. People went about their daily business, children grew up and children were born. One child, however, was unlike the rest. One child was not neutral, although he hid it well. His name was Rakhar She'Ila. He was discovered to be a very powerful empath at an early age. Now, do you all know what an empath is?"

The pirates shook their heads. Robin, however, looked up thoughtfully.

"Empathy was a trait found only in the She'Toya Clan, was it not?"

"Very good. Indeed, it has been passed down through the generations. It is a part of our blood, although very rarely we do find empaths who are not members of the Clans. Now empathy by definition is the ability to recognize or perceive the emotions of others. Naturally everyone can do this to some extent. We, on the other hand, essentially took it to a new level. Anyone who has what we call the empathetic ability can directly receive emotions. Now there are two types of empaths. Receivers and projectors. All empaths are receivers. If someone feels sorrow, the empath actually physically feels sorrow. Projectors are empaths who can send out emotions in an acute wave of energy to someone else. If a projector wants you to feel happy, then you'll feel happy unless you have mental shields protecting your mind, which can be acquired by anyone through the proper training."

Rain-cloud's blue eyes turned grey. He sighed heavily.

"Empaths are defined by their nature to do good. They all have mental shields to block out emotions from everyday folk, but seeing anyone in pain or suffering is often hard on them. My ancestors all thought it was impossible for an empath to be lured to a life of destruction. They were wrong, so very wrong. I'm sure you all know the legend that the Devil himself is a fallen angel. Well, that story is based on fact from our history. Rakhar She'Ila was our fallen angel." Rain-cloud seemed lost in his musings. "From what our history tells us, he was such a promising empath. Rakhar had been given the Yume Yume fruit at age seven. With control over dreams and such a strong ability empathetic ability…it only served to make him more dangerous. He was brought up well, but each time someone had a nightmare he slowly changed. Rakhar discovered that he liked the way fear tasted. As he grew older Rakhar learned to use his Devil Fruit ability to create fear which he then feasted on. His soul, it is said, became twisted and warped and black like any other demon's."

"Rakhar eventually left the Clans under the guise of going out into the world to help. A clever ruse, for who would suspect an empath? He knew of the great war, knew of the fear that was being generated and relished in the thought. My ancestors lost contact with him for ten years. Finally, after the long wait, Rakhar appeared again. He was in charge of the army of the Cursed. He had taken sides. He had distorted his empathetic ability to become self-serving. And he wanted the Devil Fruits…all of them. 'Let the Cursed win' he thought, 'and I shall never lack for food'. He had truly become a demon, his life-force sustained by fear. If the Cursed had won the war then Rakhar could have mounted a full scale assault on our islands, taken the seven key pieces, and stolen the Devil Fruits."

"Unfortunately part of the story is lost at this point. The Phoneglyph hints that Rakhar knew of another secret even more powerful. It caused the Sea to abandon her steadfast neutrality out of fear and come to the aid of the Blessed. They won the war, thankfully for humanity, and Rakhar was thwarted. We do not know what caused the Sea to fear this man, or how he came upon whatever knowledge it was that he found. Rakhar disappeared yet again and did not resurface until 150 years later."

* * *

"Woah, woah, woah" interrupted Luffy, "No one can live that long." 

Wind-rider sighed. She had been giving Luffy the same history lesson that his fellows were receiving deep inside the volcano. Not surprisingly enough, they had the same reaction.

"Luffy, Rakhar isn't human anymore. He lives off of fear. As long as he has that to sustain him, he can't die like you or I would of old age. He's fairly indestructible as well. Throughout the attempts he's made to attack the Clans over the centuries we discovered that the fear he consumes also heals him at a rapid rate. Nor does he appear to age. Let's see…" Wind-rider's brow furrowed in thought, "He must be roughly 850 by now."

"Wow" said Luffy. There wasn't much else he could say. His mind was whirling with all the information, trying to make sense of it all. Suddenly he connected two things in his mind.

"Wait a second. If he can't die…and he's still attacking your people…then was that him last night?"

A shudder passed through Wind-rider's frame as she nodded.

"Yes, the bloody bastard" she growled. Red hot anger seeped slowly into Luffy's veins but Wind-rider blinked and it was gone. "I'm sorry about that. I am having more trouble controlling my empathy than usual. Understandable, considering the circumstances" she added bitterly. She swallowed audibly and took a deep breath. She said nothing for a long while.

"So…" Luffy asked very carefully, "What do you have to do with him?" Wind-rider flinched but otherwise kept calm.

"You were the only one who saw what happened last night. You have a right to know but, please, don't tell anyone else. This is a touchy subject for me and I've never really gotten over it." Luffy nodded, very aware that this was the time to be very serious.

"Six years ago Rakhar returned to the Clans again, only he did so secretly. He was on some sort of mission he had appointed to himself and it involved the upmost stealth. He snuck past the town and….and headed for my house. My parents were still alive then…" she shuddered again. My parents were two of the five elders. I was 12. Rakhar kills through fear. They died a horrible death…he made me watch, held me still with his empathetic ability." Wind-rider's voice took on an indifferent tone. "He raped me, too. Inspired such fear I thought I would die. And then he left. 'Goodbye kechara, we will meet again.' The remaining elders found me a day later, dead to the world, like I was yesterday." Tears poured silently down her face now. "Self induced shock to keep my emotions from harming anyone else. And last night…wh…when he k…k…killed Fire-fox…"

Finally it became too much. Wind-rider put her face in her hands and cried softly. Sorrow crept into Luffy again, but its progress was hampered. _Even now she's trying not to make me feel miserable_, he thought with wonder. Anger, his own, turned Luffy's blood hot. He put a comforting hand on Wind-rider's shoulder. "I'll beat the shit out of this guy" he stated. Wind-rider looked up at him. Suddenly she knew that in a world of wrong, something had finally gone right.

* * *

A/N: Well...I hope that all made sense. Quite a history lesson. The basic plot is now laid bare and our dear pirates are once again in the middle of a situation. Fate or coincidence...well, being the hopeless romantic, I prefer fate every time. Rate/review, it makes me happy XD 


	6. Her Majesty, The Sea

Disclaimer: I own One Piece only in my dreams. In reality, Oda-sensei does.

* * *

"Well shit." Wind-rider glanced over at Sanji.

"That rather effectively sums it up, yes" she said.

Everyone was gathered in Wind-rider's house. It was convenient because it was out of the way and there was a less likely chance of being overheard by someone. _Not that it's bloody likely a clan member will turn traitor after last night but still…you can never be too careful_, thought Wind-rider. They were conversing about what had just been learned and what to do about it.

"Our main obstacle" she continued, "is how you kill a man who can't be killed."

The others looked at her and sighed. The two remaining elders of Wind-rider's clan, Clan She'Lya, Rain-cloud and Diamond-star, glanced at one another.

"Wind-rider" began Diamond-star, "We need to speak with Shereema. Or rather, you do, at least."

"Yes, he is right" added Rain-cloud, "She has known Rakhar for centuries and I agree with you in that she brought these pirates here for a reason" he gestured at the group, "So does it not seem logical that she has a plan in mind?"

"You must go and make the call. You need to converse" continued Diamond-star. Wind-rider held her hands up.

"Hey, hey, hey, wait just a second. Am I to understand that you're handing this over to me?" she asked incredulously. The two nodded.

"Completely?"

"Entirely" agreed Rain-cloud, "We have no choice. One, we need to rebuild our town. Two, we need to tend to the victims. Three, I hate to say it, but this is more your fight than it ever was ours. And four, Shereema trusts you most out of everyone. It is a natural conclusion."

Wind-rider was gaping like a fish. "After all these years….I can go after that snake?"

The elders sighed and then nodded. Wind-rider's eyes widened and took on a faintly maniacal look as a grin split her face. Her fingers clenched slightly on the table and she bowed her head.

"Yes…" she whispered, mostly to herself. Her head shot up again and her emerald gaze fixed on Luffy, who appeared rather taken aback at the sudden shot of revenge that pulsed through his body for a split moment. As usual, it disappeared immediately. Wind-rider narrowed her eyes in askance and shook her head slightly. _That shouldn't have happened_, she thought to herself, _what's wrong with my shields_? Stress, she decided.

"Well come on then" she said to Luffy, "You have to come with me." Luffy and his crew looked at her.

"Why" asked Luffy.

"Why" asked everyone else.

"The call to Shereema can only be made by those she has chosen to speak to. Other than the elders, who will be busy, the only other person here besides me that satisfies the requirement is Luffy. I believe she spoke to you during the storm."

Luffy's mouth formed a silent "Oh". He nodded.

"I wish I could take you as well" Wind-rider said to the rest, "But unfortunately rules are rules in this case. However, there is plenty for you to do." She turned to Robin. "Can you study the archives in detail? Find something we've missed, maybe? As an archaeologist your skills are better suited than all of ours, even though it is our history. We can't analyze it the way you can."

Robin nodded. "If possible, I would like to copy the text." She glanced at the elders, who said it would be fine. "Wonderful. In that case, I would like to take Zoro and Sanji with me to help out." The two looked horrified at the idea.

"Why do I have to work with the shitty cook?" grumbled the swordsman.

"Damn marimo-head" the cook glared, "But for Robin-chwan, I shall endure it." The two glared daggers at each other. Robin smiled and shook her head.

"Deus Fleur" she said. An arm sprung out of each of their backs, grabbed them by the collars, and marched them out the door. Wind-rider smirked in appreciation.

"You've done that before, haven't you?" Robin smirked back.

"Many a time." She followed her two 'captives' and left. Wind-rider turned to Chopper.

"Have you got any theories on just how it is Rakhar heals himself so quickly?"

Chopper furrowed his fuzzy brow. "From what I gather, it seems to me that it is a combination of his empathetic ability mixing with the fear he consumes. It may bolster his immune system in some way. It might also explain his long life span." Wind-rider nodded thoughtfully. "If I can get access to any material you have on empathy, because it seems to almost be a science here, I may be able to figure something out" the reindeer continued. Wind-rider looked at the elders.

"Consider it done. Follow us to the library." stated Rain-cloud. He and Diamond-star rose to their feet and moved towards the door. Usopp jumped up, too.

"Oi, Chopper" he said, "I'll come and help." They left as well. Nami stood up and glanced at Wind-rider.

"I bet you want Franky and I to figure out how Rakhar managed to sail through that storm barrier you've got surrounding your islands" said Nami. Wind-rider grinned.

"Yep yep, that's it exactly. No ship is supposed to survive when Shereema wants to get rid of it. See if you can find out what can make a ship indestructible. Between Franky's shipwright skills and your weather knowledge, something will come up, I'm sure of it."

"It'll cost you though" winked Nami as she and Franky walked out the door to follow Chopper and Usopp. Wind-rider raised an eyebrow and gazed quizzically over her shoulder at Luffy. He shrugged.

"Nami's a devil when it comes to money" he said, "She can get really scary."

"I was wondering…" she replied, "Anyway, come on then. Time for you to meet the majesty herself." Wind-rider scurried to the back of the house to find her wind board. Something had been troubling Luffy though, but he couldn't say anything with all the others present because Wind-rider had asked him not to say anything.

"Hey, Wind-rider…are you okay?" he asked hesitantly. She came back and stood in a doorframe. Her eyes took on a dull appearance.

"How could you tell?" she asked softly. Luffy shrugged again.

"Neh, I don't know. Granted, I've only known you for two days, but you're acting just like yesterday, almost as if nothing happened, but there is still something….wrong about it."

Wind-rider smiled bitterly and sighed. "Luffy, you've no idea how much I want to just sink down to the floor and drown in misery. It would be so easy, so simple." She walked around and leaned her head against a window. "But I can't. If I did, my shields would break and all this pent up emotion would wash over the town, which would hurt a lot of people, my friends. I can't let that happen. Besides…" she sighed again, "I've got to get Rakhar. I've just got to. And I can't do that by just sitting here." Wind-rider fell silent for a moment. Once again foreign emotions engulfed Luffy, this time of vengeance. Wind-rider growled softly and it disappeared.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why that keeps happening. I'll ask Shereema about it…" Wind-rider turned around and looked at Luffy, "Well then, let's go."

She walked out the door carrying her wind board. It had straps on it now. She placed it carefully on the ground and motioned for Luffy to get on. He shot her a confused look.

"What, you said you wanted to ride it, right?" asked Wind-rider, "It's a long hike to the calling place. It'll be much easier if you ride this."

"But it's only big enough for one person…"

"My Devil Fruit ability is a logia type, remember? I'll be the one powering the board."

Luffy's face brightened considerably at that. He really wanted to try flying. He hoped on with out any further ado and strapped his feet in. Wind-rider checked to make sure the straps were secure before nodding.

"Ok then. Hang tight" she said, grinning widely. A strong gust blew over her and she seemed to turn into a whisper. One minute she was there, the next, she wasn't. Suddenly the board rose off the ground, inch by inch. Luffy wobbled and almost fell over but the wind gently held him up.

"I said hang tight" the wind whispered in his ear, "Up we go…"

The wind board and Luffy slowly rose high above the trees. Luffy stuck his arms out, trying to keep his balance. The board turned around and pointed east.

"Alright, now bend your knees. It will help you balance as we move forward." Luffy did as he was told. He moved slowly at first. Wind-rider didn't want to make him fall off. They picked up speed and soon Luffy was shooting over the canopy. It took some getting used to, but after a minute or two he could hold his balance fairly well. Wind-rider was impressed.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you've done this before." The wind tickled his ears.

"This is sooooo cool!" he shouted, "It's like flying!" The wind chuckled.

"Hah, flying is a bit more intricate than going in a straight line. Hmm…you want to know what flying is like then do you? Wish granted…"

Luffy had absolutely no idea what that meant but he found out rather quickly. The board suddenly pitched into a controlled dive. Luffy's stomach flipped as the ground sped closer and closer. Then Wind-rider made the board pull up and turned the dive into a perfectly executed loop. The wind pushed Luffy's shoulders to keep him steady.

"Woah" exclaimed Luffy, shaking his head.

"Yeah, that's what I said the first time I tried it…although I promptly crashed into a tree." The wind chuckled again, "I hadn't quite mastered the wind at that point." Luffy glanced down at the trees rushing past down below. Behind him the town had disappeared into the distance. He noticed that the ground was getting closer again. The line of trees ended and gave way to a cliff face, which dropped down to the white waves of the sea below. Wind-rider slowly brought the board to a halt and lowered it over the cliff.

"See that spot to your right?" she asked, "The one with the three blue stones?"

Luffy looked about. What he saw was the most amazing beach he would ever see in his life. Clear blue waters washed up softly against the white, sandy shore. Reefs could be seen easily through the water, the fish seen swimming about on their daily business. It was the very picture of relaxation. Halfway along the wide, crescent moon shaped beach stood three titanic stones, arranged in a triangle. In fact, Luffy noted as they got closer, they looked more like ice than anything. The edges were rounded from centuries of wind, but the stones themselves were transparent and a cool, aquamarine color. The board came to a halt and landed softly on the sand a few yards away. Luffy unstrapped his feet and jumped off. Behind him the wind condensed into one spot and Wind-rider reappeared as if she'd stepped through mist. She shook her head and her hair fell back into its usual messy style.

"That made me feel a lot better" she stated, almost to herself. Luffy raised an eyebrow, but otherwise let it alone. Instead he turned his attention to the monoliths standing before him.

"What are these?" he asked.

"One hundred percent sea diamond. Similar in chemical property to land diamonds, except these grow in the ocean and are always this lovely blue color."

"What are they for?"

"For calling the sea, of course. Other than the Devil Fruits the sea diamonds are Shereema's most cherished creations. We aren't sure how, but somehow they enhance the Devil Fruit abilities. Kind of the opposite of the Sea-stone. These are the only ones in existence currently, unless Shereema sees it fit to create more. She won't let anyone get their hands on them, and you'd be hard pressed anyway. Stuff's harder than regular diamond and very dense. But weakening the abilities is one thing, enhancing them is another all together. Plays into her idea of being neutral. Shereema doesn't mind making things difficult, but she never makes things easier for people. Besides, the enhancer was technically an accident, I think, but don't mention that. She intended these for one purpose only, doesn't want to admit she messed up. Watch."

Wind-rider approached the giant diamonds. As soon as she entered their vicinity they began to glow, an eerie pale blue. She moved to stand in the middle of the triangle and looked back at Luffy.

"The diamonds were created in order to shield" Wind-rider explained, "Within this border, no thought can get out, no emotions, nothing related to the mental mind at all. In order to contact Shereema, she had to make absolutely certain that whoever was summoning her was indeed an ally. For that, the summoner must open up completely, lower their mental shields to the ground. The diamonds keep others safe from the outpouring of emotion that comes with it and the one inside also."

Wind-rider turned to face the sea and sat down cross legged. Her back was straight, her eyes closed in concentration. A deep breath, another. Then suddenly the wind exploded within the triangle, although Luffy could not feel it. It whipped about the border, searching for an outlet, a crack in the seamless shield. Finding none, it died down to nothing more than a whisper. Wind-rider breathed in heavily, wiped her forehead, and opened her eyes. The green orbs scanned her surroundings. Convinced that she was still in the same place, Wind-rider stood up shakily and exited the triangle.

"I hate doing that" she muttered, "It is very disconcerting to feel completely vulnerable like that." Wind-rider shook her head. "It's your turn" she said, motioning toward the triangle. Luffy looked startled.

"But didn't you just call Shereema?" he wondered.

"I did, but you didn't. Like I said, she has to make absolutely sure that she will be safe. She dislikes taking on a human form."

"Oh. But what do I do?" asked Luffy, "I don't know how to take down shields, or if I even have them."

"Don't worry about it. When you enter, sit down like I did. You will feel a presence enter the area. Don't try to resist it, whatever you do. Just try to accept it calmly."

Luffy looked nervously at the diamonds. He didn't particularly like the idea of someone peering about inside his head, but what choice did he have? He sighed heavily and entered the triangular shield. It felt as if he'd passed through an invisible mist, cool to the touch. He plopped down in the sand and closed his eyes. Almost instantly he could feel a presence nudging at his mind. He shook his head briefly, trying to shoo it away, but stopped himself with a mental slap. The presence nudged him again. It was wary, but curious.

_Well, go on then_, Luffy thought at it, _do whatever it is you're going to do to my head_.

He envisioned the whatever it was cocking its head curiously, if it had a head, that was. It seemed surprised, although Luffy couldn't figure out why he knew that. He suddenly felt a chill run up and down his body, making him shiver. Quick flashes of memory passed rapidly in his mind; his childhood, meeting Shanks, setting off on his journey, entering Grand Line, defeating Crocodile, Cipher Pol….he saw everything. Luffy grimaced as he realized that the presence was analyzing everything in his life. He didn't like that at all, but the whatever it was did not feel malicious, only curious, as if it enjoyed learning new things. Luffy, wondering why he knew that also, relaxed a little when he realized this. Soon it was over and the presence withdrew from his mind. Luffy felt it grin happily to itself as it brushed up against his cheek, nuzzling him. He snorted at it and got up. He shook his hair out of his eyes and exited, passing through the misty shield.

"I think it liked me", he said as he walked back to Wind-rider. She was staring at him with her jaw dropped. "What?" he asked.

"I have never seen the Lana Kai act that way before…" she shook her head in wonder. She stared at him peculiarly. Luffy rubbed his neck and looked down at the sand, shuffling awkwardly under the scrutiny.

"Just what was that thing anyway?" he asked eventually.

"The Lana Kai? Sea sprites. Their full name is Shelana Kai'ru, meaning spirit energy of the sea. They can detect deceit or malevolence or any other kind of harmful emotion. Fun little guys, really, but I don't like them getting in my head. My mind is the only truly privacy I get and I hate letting them know….things. So they generally try to leave me alone. Most other people, too, react like me. It's normal. What did you do to make it so affectionate?"

Luffy shrugged. "It was just curious" he said mildly, "so after a minute I guess I just relaxed and gave it whatever it wanted. It didn't…feel bad or evil."

"Have you always been so trusting?" Wind-rider wondered at him.

"Guess so, yeah" he grinned. She would have asked more but at that moment the sea around the bay grew completely calm. The breeze died down. Everything was still. Wind-rider turned toward the water and instantly dropped to one knee. She grabbed Luffy's red vest and yanked him down, too.

"Make sure you show the proper respect befitting a queen" she whispered to him.

Luffy speculated temporarily on what kind of respect that would be. All in all, he gave respect if he felt that the person deserved it or had earned it, not before. He decided not to mention this, however. It probably would have been an issue. Luffy shrugged mentally to himself. _Ah well, I'll wing it_.

A figure slowly rose up out of the shallows. A woman, tall, lean, and very aware of her presence. Her face was angular, her ears were pointed and covered partially by her long, black hair. She was wearing a beautiful, flowing halter top dress, sea green and studded with pearls. A large black pearl hung around her neck. Her skin was olive colored. The woman walked slowly onto the beach, her bare feet leaving soft footprints in the wet sand. Wind-rider bowed her head low and Luffy followed suit. This woman was very imposing, very fierce. She walked right up to Wind-rider and placed a delicate hand on her head.

"Mi toya" she said softly. She took her hand off of Wind-rider's head, who looked up.

"My queen" she said with reverence. The woman smiled, revealing white, perfect teeth.

"Child, to you I am a friend. You need not bow to me."

Wind-rider grinned, standing up. "All the same, it is my pleasure to do it" she said, brushing the sand off of her legs. She looked at Luffy and motioned slightly with her head that he could stand up as well. Shereema gazed at him with soft, grey eyes.

"My sprites informed me that you brought company with you. It is a pleasure to meet you in person, Monkey D. Luffy."

"Nice to meet ya" grinned Luffy in his usual, hyper manner. Wind-rider tried to suppress the smile that was tugging at the corners of her mouth. Respect befitting a queen, eh? She rolled her eyes mentally to herself. _I should have known that was his idea of respect befitting a queen. I wonder why I even bothered_.

Luffy stuck out his hand. Shereema raised an eyebrow and conceded to shake it, amusement glinting in her eyes. She glanced over at Wind-rider.

"_He's a character, this one is" _she thought to Wind-rider, who nodded slightly.

"_Quite a loon, but in a good way. Can he truly help?"_

"_But of course. He may be a bit of a 'loon', as you say, but he has spirit. Change is in the winds, can't you feel it?"_ Shereema broke the mental empathetic contact, bringing Wind-rider back to the present.

"So my dears" the Sea said, "What is it you want of me?"

Luffy glanced over at Wind-rider. He really didn't have any idea why they were supposed to talk to Shereema. Obviously the elders and Wind-rider had understood why, but he sure hadn't. Wind-rider drew in a deep breath.

"Information" she stated bluntly. Shereema smiled sadly.

"Ah you ask too much. You, child of the winds, are very aware of my predicament, my age old dilemma. To be ruler of the sea is indeed a great thing, but it comes with a heavy price. It may appear as if the sea is governed by anarchy, but it fraught with rules and regulations. I am not allowed to take sides. It's a wonder I'm still here to talk about that after I came to the aid of the Blessed in the Great Cursed War, I broke so many rules. I cannot help you, my dear, not even to save myself."

"What do we do, in that case?" Wind-rider asked, "How can we go forward without help?"

"Ah but you have it. I've already given all I could. Help arrived yesterday and is currently standing beside you. Help is in the archives, studying, and in the libraries, researching as we speak."

Wind-rider glanced at Luffy. She thought of Robin and Sanji and Zoro, pouring over the archives. She thought of Chopper and Usopp, trying to find a weakness of Rakhar's, and of Nami and Franky, puzzling out why Rakhar could best the sea in its element. She smiled slightly and shook her head.

"We've got to figure this out on our own, then?"

"Correct. A centuries old puzzle, fraught with danger, its clues buried so deeply it will test your very limits. Now then, come walk with me, child of the winds. I feel that you are in need of a shoulder."

Wind-rider winced. Were her shields so poor that she was now an open book? She sighed softly to herself. Shereema walked of in the direction of the cliff, toward the outcropping of rocks that lay in the sand. Wind-rider followed with a heavy heart and heavy stride. Luffy watched them go. This was clearly a conversation that was to be had without him. He sat down in the sand, sighing. It wouldn't do to have a bored Luffy. Suddenly a glowing blue orb appeared in front of him. He stared at it curiously and realized that the blue thing had the same feeling as the sea sprites. Luffy grinned to himself. At least he had something to keep him occupied for a little while.

* * *

Shereema led Wind-rider to the tide pools at the end of the white, sandy beach. She sat down gracefully on a smooth rock and indicated that Wind-rider was to do the same. She did as she was told, but for a long while said nothing. She simply watched the waves wash back and forth over the rocks. Fish were jumping from pool to pool, trying to find a larger home. A small crab scuttled over the sand, burrowing itself under a rock. Finally Wind-rider spoke.

"What is the matter with my shields?" she asked softly. Shereema looked at her curiously.

"What do you mean, my child?"

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'?" replied Wind-rider, confused, "They've got holes in them. My emotions keep leaking out and I can't seem to stop them."

Shereema sighed. It was a soft sound, rather like water flowing over sand. "You know", she said, tucking her black hair behind her pointed ears, "keeping your emotions confined inside of you will only lead to an explosion later."

Wind-rider winced. She knew that only to well. This was why she kept her shields so strong, and why she was so worried about their apparent disintegration. She snorted to herself and turned to face her queen.

"You know, I used to be quite good at confiding in other people" she said in a bitterly amused tone. The Sea nodded.

"I remember it. Your parents, Rain-cloud, myself. We would all kindly listen to your problems and worries. What made you change so drastically?"

"As if you didn't know" Wind-rider spat. She was immediately horrified with herself. "I'm sorry, I should not have spoken like that." Shereema merely patted her head.

"Do no worry, my child. It is perfectly understandable."

"That's just the thing. I don't think anyone can understand what's going on inside my head. It's like I physically can't trust anyone anymore with my inner thoughts. I have no problems trusting my life, my safety, my friends, but not my mind."

"Rakhar wields fear as his most effective weapon."

This time Wind-rider grimaced. "I know, he's the problem. He's the reason I turned into this…this…this empath who's afraid of her own feelings. Oh, how I'd love to get my hands on him…I'd rip him to shreds and jump on what was left."

Shereema gazed as this emotional outburst from Wind-rider. This was the most she'd gotten out of the child in a long time. However, she did not that Wind-rider's shields were not letting any of this out. This was strange, considering that Wind-rider claimed them to leak. She rested her head on her hand and looked back over the beach. She could see Luffy, who had been playing with the sea sprites, stop what he was doing and turn to face her. Then he shook his head and turned his attention back to the sprites. Shereema narrowed her eyes curiously before realization dawned on her.

_Ah, so the boy is an empath himself, is he?_ Shereema thought to herself. _This is an interesting development. To be able to sense emotion through Wind-rider's strong shield, he must be a very powerful one. _She glanced over at Wind-rider, who was staring at her feet. _I think I shall keep this information to myself for now. Perhaps the boy can become the shoulder Wind-rider both craves and fears._

"Your shields are not broken", Shereema told her. Wind-rider looked up with sad surprise.

"They aren't?" she asked. Shereema shook her head. The child would figure it out on her own eventually. Out to sea the sun was slowly dipping toward the horizon, the sky was turning a fiery orange.

"You should go back, meet with your new companions. Find out what they know."

Wind-rider nodded in agreement. Shereema smiled softly, stroking her head. Then she left, walked back into the waters. Wind-rider glanced over her shoulder at Luffy.

"Companions, huh?" she said quietly. Smiling, she walked back across the beach.

* * *

A/N: yay, I finally finished chapter 6. I discovered a writer's block in my room while in the middle of writing this chap. Anyway, I hope you like it. XD

Plus, college is starting soon for me. That means any updates may be a bit longer than usual, what with homework and whatnot. I'll try to write as often as I can, but chapter seven may take a bit longer. Hopefully it will be worth however long the wait is


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